REMEMBERING GEORGE McGOVERN. We were deeply saddened this week at the loss of George McGovern, progressive champion of peace and human rights. In my blog, I write how the presidential nominee and Nation contributor never wavered in speaking out against war, poverty and human rights abuses. John Nichols reflects that McGovern practiced “a purer politics, a better politics, because it was so rooted in his love of America’s history, its literature and its possibility.” Representative Jim McGovernremembers his friend as the “Atticus Finch” of American politics, a man who “spoke the truth even when—especially when—it was uncomfortable.” And William Greidercalls McGovern “the last honest Democrat,” writing, “George McGovern would tell the truth nobody wants to mention.” Also, I hope you’ll take a look at The Nation’s 1972 profile, “George McGovern: The Man, the Press, the Machine, the Odds.”

MEDIA AT WORK. In this week’s cover story, Eric Alterman details how the mainstream media has covered the 2012 election—and it’s not pretty. In an era of post-truth politics, reporters have neglected the real issues, obsessing over made-up gaffes and meaningless campaign moments. Alterman argues that mainstream journalists have an “inability…to admit to, or account for, the radicalization of the Republican Party—whether it involves the candidates’ commitment to extremist ideology, or their loyalty to billionaire funders like the Koch brothers and Sheldon Adelson.” Read more from Alterman here.

PAUL WELLSTONE, TEN YEARS LATER. It’s been ten years since the passing of the great progressive hero, Paul Wellstone. I remember Wellstone this week in my WashingtonPost.com column as “a relentless champion, a true public servant and one of the few movement senators we’ve ever had.” From protesting and picketing with workers to voting against the invasion of Iraq as a senator, Wellstone’s political courage is deeply missed. I am heartened that his legacy lives on in a new generation of progressive representatives and in grassroots activism around the country. As I write in my column, “Paul Wellstone was not a tall man, but he was a giant of a politician, progressive, human. Ten years after, I still miss him.”